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Tony Mowbray has resigned from his position as manager of League One’s bottom club, Coventry City.
The 52 year old, who has been at the Ricoh Arena for 18 months, has failed to lead the Sky Blues to a win in League One this season, and are bottom after ten games.
After Coventry’s 2-2 draw at home to AFC Wimbledon, Mowbray said; “The table doesn’t lie.”
“It’s embarrassing to go 10 games without a win. I’m an honourable guy.”
A statement on City’s club website revealed that Mowbray’s long-time number two Mark Venus, the club’s technical director, will “take responsibility of first-team duties with immediate effect”, starting at Port Vale on Saturday.
The statement also thanked Mowbray for “all his energy and dedication over the past 18 months”.
But Mowbray, who had his Sky Blues side top of League One just ten months ago, expressed his concerns to the financial state of the club, and added their is potential within the current squad.
“I won’t be a burden to this club. I know this club needs every penny.
“I see some shoots of hope. The players work extremely hard, but it’s a man’s game,” added the Yorkshireman. “They’re babies in a man’s league.
“I probably let them down by not getting in the big 6ft 4in centre-half we were after, who could have been a man and help us keep clean sheets.
“We knew what the budget was but we didn’t get our targets. You can’t build a club off loans. They have to invest in footballers they can keep and build on.”
Mowbray, a former Hibernian, West Brom, Celtic and Middlesbrough manager, arrived at the Ricoh in March 2015.
He kept the Sky Blues in the league on the final day of the 14/15 season, before taking them to the top of League One in the first few months of the 15/16 season.
A slight dip after Christmas saw Coventry drop to mid table, but a resurgence eventually saw them finish 8th.
But with little financial backing in the summer, protests against the owners Otium (formally SISU) and an inexperienced squad, Mowbray knew it was going to be a tough campaign.
Since Coventry’s relegation from the Premiership in 2001, the club have had 13 managers, eight of which have come under the nine year period I’m which Otium have been at the club.
As for Mowbray’s successor, former Sky Blues manager Steven Pressley has been made the early favourite, despite Mowbray replacing him following his dismissal in February 2015.
Other candidates include Steve Cotterill and Steve Evans.
